Floor unit



July 19, 1949. A. ROBERTS I FLOOR UNIT Filed March 23, l945 &1. E0222???7 Patented July 19, 1949 S'TAT' 6 Claims.

This invention relates to a prefabricated frame-like floor unitfo'r usein the erection of the skeleton or frame work of a building.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a prefabricatedframe-like floor unit which is longitudinally trussed andv which isreadily attachable to the foundation or substructure of abuilding. Q I jf Another object is to p'r'ovide'a prefabricated frame-like fioorjumtwmch is so made as to have an assured fit in connection to thefoundation of a building and which can be transported conveniently tothe place where it is to be used.

Figure 1 is, a fragmentary View, partly in section and partly in'e1eveuon, 11ustrsuag the installation of the fiber, unitof the presentinvention upon the remnants of a building;

Figure 2 is a ragmenta y view, in top plan, illustrating a portion ofafi'oor truss and a rest or saddle element for supporting and fittingthe floor truss in a building structure assembly;

Figure Slisa View, partially inside elevation and partially in crosssection, of the parts shown in Figure 3; I

Figure 4 is a fragmentary end view in correlation to the parts sli ownin Figures 2 and 3;

Referring to the drawings the floor truss struc ture 32, in itself, thesame may be of any preferable form and arrangement and in either asingle longitudinal body section or a plurality of sections placed sideby side and secured together at intervals throughout substantially theentire length thereof. In the present invention, however, a particularmeans for joining the floor trusses 32 in the structural assemblyof thebuilding or attaching the same supportedly on the iound'ation portion2|, is shown, for example, in Figure 1, or they may be attached inanysuitable manner in the building structure. As shown in Figure 1, inits particular riiounting on the foundation portion 2| and Figures 2 toLinelusive, as to certain structural details, the floor truss 32ctiihprises a plurality of parallel top horizontals 33, in the form ofloiigated rods or bars, and horizontal bottom chords 3d extending inparallel spaced relation to said upper bars or rods 33, and having theirend pdrtions 35 adjacent to Where the truss is-attahd to the floor part2!, turned upwardly at-an angle and carried alongside of the endportions of the top bars or rods 33 and terminating in substantiallyflush relation to the ends of said bars or rods 33 (see Figures 2 and3). That is to say, the end portions 35 are located outside of the endportions of the rods or bars 33 and said end portions 35 are accordinglyflared outwardly from the main body portions of said lower horizontalrods or bars 3 1 which are directly vertical iinder the uppercas- 33. Inthe floor truss structure; as shown more generally in Figure l ea'chtruss-includes a web, preferably in the form or a gig-tag tater rod 36secured at intervals throughout its Iengthto said upper bars 33 andlower bars 35, as at Bl. In preferred detail, however, as shown moreclearly in Figures 2' and 3, the filler 'or web bar 36 where it joinsthe upper bars and lower bars 34 is fitted and Welded O1 otherwisefiiliflljy so cured between said bars or rods 33 and bars or rods 3 l.

In the floor truss structure the cooperating parallel end portions 33,35' nd' 35 of the bars or rods 33, 34 and 36 are wel ed together, as at3B, in close side by siderelati'on on thetop of a saddle element 39 (seeFigs i to 4, inclusive). Welding also occurs further inward, as at I Thesaddle element 39 welded or otherwise secured rigidly to the ends of thebars of rods of the truss element 32 is provided'for the convenientattachment of the floor truss tr to either the foundation 2| or to somehorizontal or lateral in the building'franie structure to be presentlydescribed more fully in detail.

It is here further noted'that, in some cases, the saddle element 39 maybe attached to "or be formed integrally as a part of and with only theend portions of the top chord or rod members as the fiOOr truss 32,instead er being attached been of the rods or bars of the trussincluding both the top and bottom chords; As to the sec1u1e element 39,it is here also 'no't'edthat the may be embedded, in use, in thercundauen part 2! or some other base or fdundatioh part of the buildingstructure, as indicated in Figure l, in

which case, a plurality of the said'saddle ere merits 39 may be spaced2; definite distance apart from each other and 'acli element 39 made tostraddle a pair of laterally spaced longitudinal bars or rods 40, towhich bars or rods each saddle element 39 is clamped by a transverse baror plate M which is fastened to the middle pa ties of the saddle member39 by a bolt 42 or the like. All of these parts, including thelongitudinal bars or rods til together with the saddle nie'in his 38 andclamping plates 4!, are preferably 'fiibedd'ed in the foundation part 2|or other siiriilarpart whether the same be constructed in a built-upmanner from bricks and pieces of stone or moulded into a solid integralmass from concrete.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed is:

1. In a building structure of the character described, an open framelikelongitudinally trussed and prefabricated floor unit, said unitcomprising a longitudinal pair of horizontal upper chord bars spaced alimited distance laterally apart, a pair of lower chord bars spacedapproximately the same limited distance apart in parallel relation toeach other but at a greater distance directly below said upper chordbars and in parallel relation thereto throughout substantially the majorportion of the length thereof, a medial longitudinal truss bar extendingin up-and-down zig-zag directions between said pair of upper chord barsand said pair of lower chord bars and being securely attachedalternately to said upper chord bars and to said lower chord bars at theadjacent corners of the angular turns of said truss bar, whereby toproduce a light weight yet rigid and stable supporting structure for thepart of the building carried thereon, the end portions of said pair ofupper tion extending longitudinally between the end portions of saidpair of upper chord bars and being securely attached to each otherthroughout substantially the entire extent of these end portions, thepair of lower chord bars being each turned upwardly at an angle from theplace where the zig-zag formation of said truss bar terminates to apoint some distance inwardly from the ends of said upper chord bars andsaid truss bar and thence laterally outward parallel with said justmentioned bar end portions in the same horizontal plane therewith andbeing rigidly secured to the outside of the adjacent end portions of therespective bars of the upper chord, and a transverse saddle membersecured to the under side of said laterally attached end portions of therespec tive upper and lower chord bars and said truss bar.

2. In a building construction, the combination and arrangement of partsas set forth in claim 1 and further describing more specifically thatthe said saddle element extends a substantial distance at each endbeyond the adjacent sides of said trussed floor unit.

3. In a building structure of the character described, the combinationand arrangement of parts as set forth in claim 1 and. further describingmore specifically that the said saddle element comprises an elongatedmember of inverted channel shape and extending a substantial distance onopposite sides of said trussed floor-unit, and

means for clamping to said saddle element a supporting and attachinghorizontal building frame element interposed therebetween.

4. A prefabricated horizontal supporting span unit for a buildingstructure of the character described, the same comprising a pair ofparallel 4 relation, and a transverse saddle element secured rigidly tothe under side of said interattached chord and strut members at each endof the section or unit, said saddle element being arranged and adaptedfor supporting attachment directly to the building structure.

5. A prefabricated all-metal horizontal supporting span unit,substantially as set forth in claim 4, wherein the saddle elementcomprises a member of inverted substantially U-shaped form and of alength to extend a substantial distance on opposite sides of the unit,and in addition includes means embodying a clamping plate underlyingsaid inverted U-shaped member and spaced from the latter, and adjustablesecuring means cooperating with both the said member and said plate,whereby said saddle element may be attached to the building structure.

6. In a building structure, a prefabricated frame-likelongitudinally-trussed floor unit, said. unit comprising a longitudinalpair of horizontal upper-chord bars spaced a limited distance laterallyapart, a pair of lower-chord bars spaced approximately the Same limiteddistance apart in parallel relation to each other arranged directlybelow said upper-chord bars and in parallel relation to the latter bars,a medial longitudinal truss bar extending in up-and-down zig-zagdirections between said pair of upper-chord bars and said pair oflower-chord bars and attached alter nately to said upper-chord bars andto said lowerchord bars, the end portions of said unit being extended asubstantial distance beyond where the zig-zag formation of said trussbar terminates, and a transverse saddle element secured to theunder-side of each of said end sections, said saddle element comprisingan inverted channel member, a movable plate arranged in cooperativerelation to the open side of said channel member and in normally spacedrelation thereto, said channel member and said plate being apertured inactual alignment, and at least one fastening bolt fitted slidably in theapertures of said channel member and said plate, said bolt havingadjustable tightening means thereon to effectively clamp and holdsecurely a transverse supporting frame element interposed between saidchannel member and said plate.

AUGUSTA L. ROBERTS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,672,887 GI'OSS June 12, 19281,909,877 Marshall May 16, 1933 1,911,018 Goeltz May 23, 1933 1,988,388Mioton Jan. 15, 1935 2,000,885 Davison May '7, 1935 2,053,487 McLellanSept. 8, 1936 2,114,901 Henderson Apr. 19, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS NumberCountry Date 236,976 Great Britain July 15, 1925 741,892 France 1932

